Connecticut western news., 1887-04-20
THE WORLDS NEWS SIFHED. Interesting Gatherings from
 Various Points. WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE OLD WORLD AND THE NEW. General News Notes and Photographic Briefiets s-Washington News
 and Gossip-Items G from
 Abroad, Etc.
GAZING ON LINCOLN'S FACE.
HIS COFFIN OPENED TWENTY TWO YEARS AFTER DEATH.
The Features of the Martyred Pres
 ident Easily Recognized.

The remains of President and Mrs. Lincoln
 have been privately taken from their secret
 resting place at Springfield, H., and inferred
 in the north vault of the Lincoln monument in
 Oak Ridge Cemetery. Less than dozen per-
 sons, members of the Lincoln Monument As-
 sociation and Lincoln Guard of Honor, were
 present. For years the exact whereabouts of
 the remains of the great President have been
 concealed, for fear they would be stolen. The attempt to carry off the body in 1876 lead to
 organizing the Guard of Honor, which secret ed the remains and has now surrendered the charge.
 The secret grave was directly under the
 north base of the obelisk, about thirty feet from the north entrance, but only accessible through the south door. Here, about three feet below the surface of the floor, were depos- ited the remains of Lincoln and his wife. The
 body of Mir. Lincoln was in a walnut coffin
 lined with an air-tight lead lining, about one- eighth of an inch thick. The walnut coffin
 was in cedar box, and the cedar box was en- closed in pine box. Mrs. Lincoln's body was similarly enclosed.
 Twenty-two years ago Lincoln was shot. When the guards, with the help of a few la- | borers, had exhumed the collins, and the lid
 of the Presidents coffin was removed, his face
 was seen to be in remarkable state of preser- vation. Those who stood around and had known Lincoln when alive easily distinguished | the features. The silver plate on the coffin lid | was bright. On it was inscribed the following: ABRAHAM LINCOLN, :. | I. Sixteenth President United States. | Born Feb. 12, 1909; died April 15, 1865. :: ..--.....- ........ l While the face of Mr. Lincoln was exposed
 to view, Gen. Reese, President of the Guards ' of Honar, turned the remains over to the Lin- | coin Monument Association. document was | signed by the members of the Guards of | Honor, certifying that the remains in the cof- | fin were those received from the Lincoln Monu-
 ment Association in 1878. The Monument | Association made out 8 certificate signed by | the members for the records of the associa- | tion, declaring the remains to be those of | Abraham Lincoln.
 The undertaken was then directed to seal | the coffin, and plumber SC Jed it up. The | coffin was taken out by the workmen, and
 carried around to the vault on the
 north side. The members of the two
 associations and stranger or two
 who happened to be looking at the mon-
 ument followed. In the north vault the floor | had been taken up. hole eight feet long by | six feet wide and five and a half deep, bricked 1 up and cement ed, had been prepared. The | Presidents coffin was placed in this grave on | the west side. The coffin containing Mrs.
 Lincolns remains, which had been brought | from the secret grave before the other coffin,
 was brought to the vault and placed on the
 east side of her husband. A brick arch was ! then built over the coffins. This was covered
 with cement, mixed with small broken rock | Two guards will be on duty at the tomb for | few days. The marble sarcophagus, in
 which the public supposed the body to be, is | still in the vault.